Spare tire only as good as driver

We are all caught up in the seemingly never-ending frantic pace of Christmas shopping, office parties, and family gatherings.

It's the time of year that we are tempted to overindulge ourselves with the delicious foods and treats of the season.

So allow me now to tempt you with some "food for thought" this holiday season with my tales from patrolling the road.

Most of us will be spending extra time in our cars this holiday season as we rush around shopping for presents and traveling to visit friends and family both near and far. And nothing says "Bah! Humbug!" this time of year more than a flat tire.

Numerous times this year I've been dispatched to motorist assists where the driver got a flat tire, changed the flat tire, and after removing the jack, realized that the spare tire was flat or underinflated.

How is your spare tire? Is it inflated? Do you even know where your spare tire is? Not all spare tires are in the trunk, especially if you are driving a pickup truck or SUV. It may be underneath the vehicle.

Do you know how to lower it? What if you go to change the tire and the shoulder of the roadway is covered with wet snow and slush? Do you have an old blanket in the trunk that you could throw down on the ground to keep your clothes from getting dirty? The blanket could also double as a safety blanket if you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere and need to keep warm.

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Another motorist assist I was dispatched to had a driver with a flat tire, a fully inflated spare, but no jack. On another motorist assist I had a driver with a flat tire, a fully inflated spare, a jack, but no lug nut wrench.

How could something like that happen to each of these drivers? They had each purchased a new "used" vehicle. If you have bought a "used" vehicle are you sure the previous owner left the jack, lug nut wrench and all the other necessary tools needed to change a tire?

Do you know how to use all of the tools? Does the spare tire actually belong to the make and model of the vehicle? I had a gentleman who attempted to change a flat tire on a used pickup truck he recently purchased. Unfortunately, when he went to put on the spare tire, he realized the tire's lug holes did not match the ones on the pickup.

The last motorist assist with a flat tire that I will tell you about was a young man who had a sports car with fancy high-dollar rims. He had one corner of his car jacked up and four of the five lug nuts off the flat tire. However, to protect his fancy rims from being stolen, the last remaining lug nut required a special "key" attachment for it to be removed. The young man had lost the "key" and couldn't find it anywhere. Do your rims require a security key? If they do, do you know where your security key is?

I encourage each and every one one of you to go out right now to your vehicle and physically touch your spare tire to see if it's flat. Now touch your jack, lug wrench and any other tools that you would need to change a flat tire. Do your rims require a security key? If they do, I encourage you to find it right now and keep it in your car in a place where you will always find it.

If changing a flat tire is not your idea of a good time, then allow me to suggest a Christmas gift of a membership in one of the many roadside assistance programs for yourself or your loved ones.

Let me leave you with one last "food for thought" item about the holidays. It's that time of year for holiday parties and social gatherings. Please, please, please, have a designated driver if you decide to go out and party. If one of your friends, family, or co-workers has gotten caught up in the moment and has had too much to drink, please don't allow them to drink and drive. Provide them with a safe place to stay or a ride home. They will thank you, I will thank you, and your fellow motorists will thank you.